Cheating Death
by madmaninabox
Summary: A stranger is found unconscious within the wreckage of a car on the outskirts of Storybrooke. Blood paints her clothing and porcelain skin but there's not a scratch on her. This stranger holds the secret to cheating death. Dr. Whale spots an opportunity to bring the dead back to life through this girl. He'll soon learn that bad things happen to those who try to play God.


**Cheating Death**

_Tell you a story and it starts with time_  
_Moves to how you live, and learn how to die_  
_Another phase in this world that brings death to life_  
_So don't believe in everything you see_  
_Because what you want might not be what you need_  
**_- Tell Me A Story / Phillip Phillips_**

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**Summary:** A stranger is found unconscious within the wreckage of her car on the outskirts of Storybrooke. Blood paints her clothing and porcelain skin but there's not a scratch on her. This stranger holds the secret to cheating death. Dr. Whale spots an opportunity to bring the dead back to life through this girl. He'll soon learn that bad things happen to those who try to play God.  
Set between seasons 1 & 2.

**Disclaimer: **The characters of OUAT are someone else's toys and I am merely just playing with them. Any characters that you do not recognize belong to me.

**Fanfiction soundtrack: **8 tracks dot com /a-sherlocked-whovian/cheating-death (replace dot with a . and no spaces or pm for the link)**  
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**Author's Note: **I will put my author's note and replies to reviewers at the end of all future chapters. During the past few months, I've been feeling like my creativity is running away. I used to create all these stories and scenes in my mind without giving it much thought but now it's becoming harder for me to be that creative person I once was. I've had the idea of this story floating in my mind for the past few days and I realized that it was the perfect opportunity to regain my creativity. I am determined to finish this story. It has become my baby and I will love and nurture it. I apologize for the chase scene. I am awful at writing those but that scene is an important piece of this story so I had to write it. It will be a while before romance buds between the main character and Whale. I hate writing and reading stories where the characters fall in love within the first two chapters. Real relationships do not happen that way so I refuse to write their relationship like that. If this story seems similar to another author's, it is merely a coincidence. I will also apologize if any characters act out of character. Please point it out to me if a character isn't acting like he or she's supposed to and I will do my best to fix it. I will let you know in future chapters if I have revised/edited a previous chapter. Reviews and constructive criticism will help feed my starving muse. Thank you!

**-madmaninabox**

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**_Chapter 1: Collision_**

Paranoia pumped through Riley Payne's veins as she walked towards her black Toyota Camry. While unzipping her purse and fumbling through scattered papers and pens for her car keys, she quickened her pace. Every other step, Riley would steal a glance over her shoulder. She could not shake the feeling that someone was following her. She knew it wasn't just paranoia. For the past week and a half, Riley had a feeling that someone was watching her every move. After two days she would have just passed it off as her being paranoid but over a week, Riley knew something was out of place. She could barely hold the keys in her shaking hands as she tried unlocking the car door. She slipped into the driver's seat and threw her purse into the back of her car as she closed the door behind her. She let out a breath that she didn't realize she was holding as she turned on the ignition. All Riley wanted was to make it home safely and curl up on the couch next to her black kitten, Jet, without having to worry about someone stalking her.

She turned on her dim lights as she pulled out of her parking space. She didn't bother to put on her seat belt. The apartment complex she lived in was only about three minutes away from where she worked so she didn't think that a seat belt would be necessary.  
Her eyes flickered to the rear-view mirror; noticing that a van, a few parking spaces behind her, had turned their lights on. Riley took in a deep breath before following dull yellow arrows out of the parking garage. Her eyes seemed to find their way back to the rear-view mirror where she could see that same van following her. '_Come on, Riley. Stop being paranoid. After all, this is the only way out of the parking garage. They'll probably turn off at the road up ahead_.' Riley wasn't the best at calming herself down. Once a thought is planted in her mind, it will take root and it will grow quickly. She turned left and to her disappointment, the van turned in the same direction. She could feel her heart pounding against her ribcage. It was if the pumping organ wanted to bulldoze out of her chest and run to safety while leaving Riley's empty corpse behind.

Riley could see her apartment complex coming up on her right but the van that was trailing her sped into the right lane, preventing her from turning in. She tightened her grip on the steering wheel as she gritted her teeth. '_Screw this. I'll just take a detour_.' She turned sharply onto a dirt road while pushing bitter thoughts out of her mind. Fear quickly took over her as the van skidded onto the back road. The fear of getting caught was too great for Riley to think rationally. She could only think of her own survival. Adrenaline fed Riley's veins as her pursuers closed the distance between them. She felt as if she couldn't breathe. Trying to gasp for air, Riley didn't notice the 'Entering Storybrooke' sign nor the fact that her pursuers disappeared from sight. The once fast paced scenery turned to slow motion as Riley lost control of her car. A large sign barreled towards her. She couldn't quite make out the words, only really being able to read 'Storybook'. Something close to that anyways. She could barely regain her concentration and jerked the sweaty steering wheel to the left only to collide with the pine trees on the outer edge of the forest. Tires screeching, glass shattering, and a strangled shriek pierced the previously silent night. Riley flew out of the front window and crashed into a nearby tree. Her broken body slumped to the forest ground, unconscious and bleeding. A wooden sign stood tall in the distance. It had been untouched during the car accident. 'Welcome To Storybrooke'.

_**Three Months Earlier**_

Riley Payne moved through the hallway with steps as soft as the baby blue color of her hand-me-down scrubs. Her light footsteps did not even draw the attention of the alert golden retriever she was walking towards. With a slight click of her tongue, Riley managed to attract the attention of the large animal. His tail thumped excitedly against his brown plush bed and his dark brown eyes sparkled with hope. It was as if he already knew that his owner was finally going to take him back home where he belonged. Riley crouched down and opened the cage; releasing the retriever from his 'prison'. She giggled softly as her cheeks were being attacked by the dog's wet tongue.

"Ace, stop it! I've already taken a bath this morning. I don't need another from you!"

Riley ran her slender fingers through Ace's golden fur and stood to her feet. Her giggles faded away as she ushered the patient through the hallway she had previously walked through. Once in the waiting room, Ace barreled towards his owner. Ear splitting barks and happy whines floated around the animal clinic as the golden retriever was reunited with his happy owner. Moments like these were what Riley enjoyed most about her job. Cheerful reunions. Happy endings. Her heart would swell during these moments instead of breaking like when she had to tell a young boy that his puppy was dead because she couldn't save him.

"Ace has been a strong fighter during the past week. The operation went smoothly and all traces of the tumor are gone. He will need to take a small dosage of pain medication. One tablet of Tramadol, twice a day, for the next three days. This is to prevent the stitches from inflammation during the healing process and so Ace can rest comfortably. If the stitches happen to break, please give us a call and we will take care of him right away." Riley placed the bottle of Tramadol into a white paper bag while explaining the precautions of the medication to Ace's owner before placing the bag into the female's open palm.

A smile still etched into her features, Riley watched the pair escape into the sunlight until they disappeared around the corner. Only two more patients to examine and Riley was free to go home. Her smile disappeared almost as quickly as it had formed. A low growl rumbled from a German shepherd's throat as his body stiffened and he showed his sharp white canines to his vulnerable prey. A dachshund, who was acting as if he was bigger than he actually is, could be seen baring his teeth as he stood his ground to the larger dog. Before Riley had time to process what was happening, growls and snarls filled the previously silent room as the two creatures began to fight. Instincts, or mild stupidity, took over Riley's senses as she attempted to break up the fight. Her left hand wrapped around the dachshund's round belly and pulled him away from the shepherd's jaws before they could close around the smaller creature's neck. The German shepherd's eyes locked onto Riley as he lunged towards her with jaws snapping. Riley was frozen in place. Her eyes widened as she raised her arm to shield her face from the shepherd's oncoming attack. White teeth turned red as the larger dog clamped his sharp canines around the shaking female's wrist. Riley attempted to pull her arm out of the dog's iron grip but to no avail. The shepherd refused to release her and a game of tug o' war began. Riley clenched her teeth as she forcefully ripped her arm from the dog's teeth. She closed her eyes tightly and a soft groan escaped. She heard panicked footsteps and a loud gasp as her co-worker, Ava, entered the room. Riley's eyes opened slowly and watched as Ava and the dogs' owners separated the two. Her eyes darted towards the gash in her wrist and watched the crimson color drip from her arm. She couldn't seem to force her eyes to look away from the injury.

"My God! Are you okay, Riley?" Ava bent down and cradled Riley's wounded wrist in her hand. "This is going to need stitches. What the hell were you thinking? You don't just get in the middle of a dog fight! You're not invincible, ya know."

Riley rolled her eyes playfully and pulled her arm out of Ava's gentle grip.

"Didn't ya know? I'm actually Superman. My only weakness is Kryptonite. I'm just trying to save the world. One dog at a time," Riley winced at the throbbing pain in her wrist as she stood to her feet.

"No wonder I can't recognize you when you aren't wearing your glasses. But look, I know I'm not your mother and I hate to nag but you need to go get that checked out."

"I'll be fine. Quit fussing over me, Ava...I can just take care of this here. I don't need to go to the hospital every time I get hurt."

Riley moved to the bathroom slowly, ignoring Ava's disapproving glare. She closed the door behind her and took a deep breath. She tucked her dark brown hair behind her ears and pushed her black, thick rimmed glasses up her nose. She turned on the faucet, sticking a finger underneath the rushing water until it turned from ice cold to a comfortably warm temperature. She slid her wrist under the water and watched her blood disappear down the drain. She turned the water off before grabbing more than enough paper towels to dry the Mississippi river. Riley gently patted her arm dry and as she tossed the paper towels in the garbage bin, she was met with a shocking surprise. She gently brushed her finger over her wrist where her wound had once been. The deep red gash had been replaced with smooth porcelain skin. It was as if the wound was never there.

Riley blinked. Is her mind playing tricks on her? She poked and prodded where her injury should have been. Nothing. Not even pain. She crouched down and opened the cabinet underneath the sink and pulled out the first aid kit. She unzipped it and her eyes roamed over the tools and medication until they zoned in on a metal scalpel. She didn't know what came over her. Whether it was simple curiosity or from shock, Riley held the surgical instrument between her forefingers and slowly made an incision into her skin. Blood seeped out of the cut as she winced from the pain. The pain only lasted for a few seconds as Riley's skin mended itself right in front of her own eyes.

"What's happening to me?" Riley whispered in complete and utter shock.

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**Author's Note:** This chapter looked longer when I was typing it on Microsoft Word. I know that there are plenty of things I need to fix in this chapter but I wanted to get this chapter out as quickly as possible. Thank you for reading! I hope it was enjoyable. I plan on revising this chapter in the future but as of now, I am happy with it.


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